And We All Fall Down
by phoenixtears07
Summary: He is the all-encompassing Sky, yet Tsuna knows he is failing his ancestor. So much blood has already been spilled.


Title: And We All Fall Down

Pairing: None

Genre: Drama, Tragedy, Angst

Warnings: Violence, blood, minor gore (in like one part?), OOC-ness, probably some grammar mistakes here and there, and MAJOR CHARACTER DEATHS

Rating: I'll put this with a T rating but (considering some of the content) if anyone thinks it should be M then I'll change it.

Summary: He is the all-encompassing Sky, yet Tsuna knows he is failing his ancestor. So much blood has already been spilled.

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or its characters.

~X~

**Act I**

He can't remember when it started.

Had it been that time in his messed up childhood, when he chose to train with a pair tonfa rather than play with children his own age?

Or perhaps when he was ten years old and first felt the thrill of beating down a much larger opponent?

Now that he tries to think about it, he cannot recall whether this _feeling_, this _purpose_, this _reason for living_ has ever existed before he met the glittering black eyes of that interesting baby. He cannot remember and this inability sends a tendril of uneasiness curling down his spine.

Then his mind is clear again when his tonfa crushes some nameless, faceless herbivore's throat. The sickening crunch as the trachea caves in echoes in his mind, and he feels an inexplicable urge to laugh and laugh until his world shatters into millions and millions of razor-sharp shards.

What an herbivorous thing to think about, he muses as another sheep falls prey to his sharp fangs. The past is long gone. All that matters now is his little, personal mission to decimate these worthless herbivores crowding around him.

The unsettling thoughts completely dissolve away as blood splashes onto his face and he stops thinking.

His normally immaculate suit is ruined. Blood and gore covers him from his hair down to his expensive dress shoes.

"Kyouya."

He pauses and tilts his head slightly to the side in a childish display of confusion. He carefully mouths the syllables as though they create the most fascinating word he has ever heard. Slowly, awareness seeps back in until he finally remembers that the syllables form his name.

He is Hibari Kyouya. The drifting Cloud, aloof and unbound.

"Kyouya."

Hibari turns slightly and a familiar blond enters his vision. The foreigner's name eludes him for a few moments until he catches sight of the colorful tattoo. "Bucking Horse."

The blond does not smile and Hibari frowns in response. Dino should be smiling. Dino is supposed to say that everything will be fine, even when they both know nothing will ever be the same.

The Dino standing before him does neither. Instead, the blond is giving him a grim, disappointed look and Hibari does not understand why.

"What have you done, Kyouya? The entire Mafia world is screaming for your blood."

The skylark narrows his eyes then scoffs. "They were in my way so I bit them to death. That's all."

Dino looks shocked then outraged. "In your way? How could they have possibly been in your way? You're supposed to be in Russia researching the box weapons, not here mass murdering entire Families!"

Hibari remains silent, sure that the blond is merely overreacting as usual.

There is desperation in Dino's eyes now. "Why, Kyouya?"

The soft, pained whisper strikes a nerve in Hibari.

Why? He cannot answer because doesn't know why. He only knows the overwhelming bloodlust burning in his veins and the delirious _need_ to sate it with the Mafia's tainted blood.

Only herbivores would crowd together and call themselves Family. As one who stands at the top of the food chain, it is his _duty_ to wipe them out. He would bit them all to death and cleanse this world with a sea of blood.

Hibari refocuses on the blond, his eyes bright with uncontrolled bloodlust. Without any warning, he lunges at his former tutor and they begin a familiar dance.

A flash of steel. The sharp snap of a whip.

Hibari has long surpassed Dino's skill level since their spars on the rooftop of Namimori Middle School years ago, but no matter how far he has come since his school days, he is still human. He is not sure how long he has been hunting down the Mafia herbivores without rest, but it has been long enough that he finds himself unable to keep up with Dino.

He sees the whip coming in the corner of his eyes but is unable to move fast enough to dodge. The leather cracks against his arm and a tonfa falls from his suddenly numb arm. He knows the wound should hurt but he feels nothing.

Hibari shakes his head to clear the black spots from his vision and attacks again. Once he is close enough to the blond, he drops his other tonfa.

Surprised, the blond hesitates, not wanting to attack his unarmed former student.

The skylark takes advantage of Dino's weak _morals_ – present even on the battlefield - and pulls out a different weapon.

Well-honed instincts save Dino from any life threatening wounds, but blood still drips from a shallow cut.

Light reflects off the unexpected weapon as it is knocked into a random bush. Hibari is left kneeling at Dino's feet, bangs shadowing his eyes.

At that moment, Sawada Tsunayoshi appears along with several other figures.

The sound of rattling chains is the only warning before a metal collar snaps around Hibari's pale throat.

Tsuna makes to protest but a word from Reborn stops the brunette. Yamamoto watches the proceedings with empty eyes and even Gokudera withholds his usual scathing insults.

As the Vendice begin to drag the skylark away, broken laughter escapes from the Cloud Guardian.

Dino shudders as the rough, dissonant sound grates on his ears and leaves a bitter metallic taste on his tongue. The blond finally meets Hibari's eyes and sees the madness gleaming bright and maliciously back at him. He closes his eyes and tries to bury the guilt and regret twisting his insides.

He knows those eyes will haunt him for the rest of his life.

~X~

**Interlude**

The small group is left in the bloody aftermath of Hibari's rampage, each nursing a sense of responsibility.

"Dino-san."

The blond glances at his honorary brother. "Yeah?"

"Did…did Hibari-san say anything? About why, I mean."

Dino slowly shakes his head. "He didn't. I don't even know why he's here in Italy. Kusakabe called Romario when Kyouya suddenly disappeared from Russia. After that, I just had to follow the trail of blood he left behind."

Silence settles over the group and Tsuna feels numb. Even standing in this red-stained garden, he cannot quite wrap his mind around Hibari's sudden inexplicable actions. They just seem so out of character for his Cloud Guardian. So not knowing how to react, Tsuna feels nothing.

As Hibari feels nothing when they inject the drug into his bloodstream and he sinks into a deep sleep. He does not feel the various needles being inserted into him to keep him alive, nor the weight of the mask as they fit it over his nose and mouth to provide oxygen. The cold water they submerge him in does not affect his consciousness.

The skylark sleeps on unaware in his watery prison deep underground.

~X~

**Act II**

Dino remembers the time before Reborn entered his life. He remembers wishing he had been born to a normal family and a normal life that did not include assassins or Mafia schools. He remembers anger and denial.

But, few actually know why Dino had felt such resentment for the Family he would one day come to love.

He had hated the pressure and the expectations. As the heir to a decaying Family, the responsibility of rebuilding an empire fell heavily onto his thin shoulders. As a clumsy teenager with a deceased mother and a sick father, Dino couldn't handle the pressure and directed his anger and all his blame onto those selfish adults that wanted and expected so much from a fourteen-year-old boy.

Deep inside, Dino – now in his thirties - still harbors some resentment for his predecessors. But, his love for his Family usually overshadows that bit of selfishness and he spends little time thinking of such things.

There are days though that he wishes he were still that inexperienced teenager - denying his fate and blaming others - because that way, he does not have to deal with the repercussions of Kyouya's massacre.

The body count has not been calculated yet, but considering how high the number is already and still finding body parts here and there, he does not want to know the final figure. He does not want the weight of that number on his conscience. After all, he had played a part in making Kyouya into the man, the mass murderer the former prefect had become – try as he might, Dino cannot purge from his mind the memory of those broken gray eyes – and the guilt for all those wasted lives already suffocates him.

Dino knows he is distracted when he should not be. With the Mafia world in chaos and the wolves circling around the weakened Vongola Family, he cannot afford to be sidetracked.

As of now, one wrong move by anyone, regardless of who it is, will most probably trigger a war.

Dino sighs and absently fingers the cold metal of the weapon he had knocked from Kyouya's hand. He does not know why he kept his silence about the weapon he had picked up after Tsuna and the others left.

…No.

He knows why. He knows exactly why he had stayed silent and taken the sharp weapon back with him, and the knowledge is another weight he must reluctantly shoulder.

A knock on the door pulls him from his brooding thoughts, and he deftly slips the weapon into his coat – he tries not to think about how natural it feels to handle it, as though he had used it for all his life. He stands and genially murmurs a greeting.

"Don Cavallone, thank you for coming here. I'm sorry you had to wait so long. Everything's complete chaos right now."

Dino merely paints a practiced smile onto his face to play his part in this twisted game. "It's no problem at all, Gamma. Let's just hope we can all resolve this with as little bloodshed as possible."

The Giglio Nero's Thunder Guardian nods in agreement. "Had it not been for the Cavallone Family's aid, we might have had to accept a merger with the Gesso Family, and we know how that would turn out." Gamma sighs tiredly. "We got rid of the Millefiore threat only to find ourselves in another mess."

~X~

War breaks out.

It is a minor squabble between two barely worth mentioning Families, but it ends up being the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Dino does all he can to keep his Family safe and the casualties to a minimum. He sleeps little and eats less. His whip is stained with more blood than he ever wished to spill, but he gets up day after day and dirties his hands.

For the Family, he thinks with conviction.

Every enemy that threatens his Family is swiftly and mercilessly brought down - by whip or bullet, it no longer matters. He will defend his Family no matter what.

Yet despite his efforts, names appear on his desk – both his men and civilians – and all Dino can do for them is to place a flower onto the caskets and whisper a promise that he will see things through to the end.

He denies any possibility of failure.

A woman is caught in the crossfire and is shot down while trying to protect her young daughter.

Anger bleeds into his mind, his plans, and the force of his whip.

A litany of names frantically runs through his mind as he wakes, as he fights, as he battles insomnia.

Brutus.

The list gets longer and he prays – half-sobbed promises that he will do _anything_ as long as the fatalities just _stop_.

Bono.

Dino no longer has the will to feel angry. He stops praying. He wields his whip with the same skill and focus, but lacks the emotions behind it. His men are dying around him and he can do nothing to stop it. The once five thousand strong Cavallone Family is reduced to a depressingly low number.

Ivan.

Dino finally accepts the dark reality around him and he stalks out of his office.

His whip lashes out. Blood splatters onto his face.

He will save his Family, no matter what.

~X~

It is over.

Dino cleans himself up with shaking hands and dresses in a white suit, then stands in the middle of his office and breaths deeply. Turning, he sees someone standing in the doorway.

The man raises a gun, speaks a sentence and pulls the trigger.

The Cavallone Don falls. Blood seeps outward into the white fabric of his suit, much like a red rose madly blooming.

As he lies there dying, Dino gently smiles and whispers the name of his killer.

~X~

**Interlude**

Tsuna bursts out of the car before it can come to a complete stop. Gokudera calls to him but the brunette's mind is on a more pressing matter, the distress call from the Cavallone Family.

The mansion is eerily silent, and Tsuna's hyper intuition informs him that there will not be any pleasant news.

He pushes the double doors open and his first step is into a pool of cold blood. Resolutely, Tsuna makes his way to Dino's office, barely noticing his two Guardians following him.

Nowadays, neither Gokudera nor Yamamoto are willing to let him out of their sights, and Tsuna is glad that he is not alone here. The ornate doors are open, and the three step into the room.

Dino's body is arranged with his arms crossed on his chest, and the sight of a gentle smile adorning the blonde's face stabs a sharp ache in Tsuna's chest.

The brunette closes his eyes and takes deep breaths to stave off the tears. There would be time to mourn later. "Reborn."

The hit man appears seemingly out of nowhere, but Tsuna knows the cursed infant had arrived before he did. "I know, Tsuna. Dino made his choice and went through with his plan."

Tsuna eyes the red bloodstain on Dino's chest. "Who killed him?"

"I did."

The four turn to see the speaker and Tsuna immediately understands. "Romario."

The bespectacled man grimly nods. "Boss didn't want any more Family members to be killed by the enemy."

Reborn tilts his fedora to shadow his eyes. "So, my foolish student took the burden and slaughtered what's left his own Family."

Romario makes a sound of agreement.

The infant hit man begins to walk away. "Let's go, Tsuna."

The brunette frowns but another look at Romario's stony face quells any arguments. He motions to his two Guardians and they silently walk out, leaving behind the last living member of the fallen Cavallone Family.

Once the office doors are closed, Romario bows to his Boss's body one last time and pulls out the gun he used to shoot Dino. Holding the weapon to his temple, he repeats the last thing he said to his Boss – it is only right that the last words he will ever speak be the ones he said to Dino before death claimed the blond. "I understand."

~X~

**Act III**

Yuni dreams of a gentle, loving smile. The beautiful woman holds her close and sings a calming lullaby.

She opens her eyes to a sterile white world. Gloved hands pass her around until finally she is placed in the arms of a woman she instinctively knows is her mother.

Yuni dreams of growing up. She is happy and surrounded by people who dote on her.

She opens her eyes and sits up. She looks around and laughs when she sees her mother smiling from across the room. Grabbing onto the edge of the table, she pulls herself up into a standing position and carefully takes her first step.

Yuni dreams of sorrow and tears. Her mother is gone and the Giglio Nero Family needs a leader. An orange pacifier appears in her hands and she accepts the mantle of Sky Arcobaleno and Giglio Nero Boss.

She opens her eyes and cries. Arms wrap around her and her mother gently rocks her back and forth, whispering that all will be well. She is too young to understand the dreams but responds to the pain of losing a loved one.

Yuni dreams of a deceptively cheerful smile. A white-haired man invites her to a meeting and a syringe pierces her arm. The world becomes dull.

She opens her eyes and stares blankly at the ceiling as the remnants of the dream numb her emotions for a few minutes. She recovers soon enough and sneaks into her mother's room. Aria merely smiles and pulls her close. She is warm again.

Yuni dreams of a dangerous game played in an abandoned city. A younger version of the current Vongola Boss is determined to win. The drugs wear off and she knows what she must do. Vongola loses but she intervenes and escapes with the Arcobaleno pacifiers.

She opens her eyes to her birthday. Shaking off the odd dreams, she gleefully jumps out of bed. There are four candles on the chocolate cake. Taking a deep breath, she blows and wishes for these happy days to never end. A single flame flickers but still burns strong, casting shadows over Aria's smiling face.

Yuni dreams of going to the past and calling upon the Vongola Primo Family. One by one, the Guardians win their predecessors' inheritance. She and a few girls are trapped in an illusionary dome and breathing becomes difficult. Using her powers, she guides the Arcobaleno to their position. Smiling, Vongola Primo bestows his inheritance to the Tenth Boss. There is hope.

She opens her eyes to her mother's coughing. Though her mother tries to reassure her that it's nothing bad, she knows.

Yuni dreams of a forest. The Final Battle is at hand. Byakuran somehow summons her and the three Sky attributes of the Tri-ni-sette are gathered together. The Arcobaleno must be revived, and she knows the price.

She opens her eyes to sorrow and tears. She learns of what she has known for some time – for it has already happened in a future that will not come to be. Her mother is gone and the Giglio Nero Family needs a leader. An orange pacifier appears in her hands and she accepts the mantle of Sky Arcobaleno and Giglio Nero Boss.

Yuni dreams of fear. Her resolve falters as her death draws closer. Then, she is not alone. She feels green flames that crackle and spark like miniature lightning, giving her a feeling of warmth and companionship. Her fear fades and Gamma holds her close. She uses her flames to revive the Arcobaleno and send memories to those in the past.

She opens her eyes to the news of a skylark's murder spree. Tensions run high in the Mafia world and the smallest ripple could snap the fragile peace.

Yuni dreams of betrayal in a flash of metal.

And she opens her eyes to green flames that crackle and spark like miniature lightning, painful and bittersweet.

~X~

**Interlude**

Tsuna rubs the bridge of his nose in some far gone hope of relieving his migraine.

Yamamoto's cell rings and he answers with short, curt words. His eyes widen. When he hangs up, he looks to his Boss. "Tsuna, Yuni is dead."

The brunette's jaw drops. "What?"

The Rain Guardian is somber – so unlike how he had been years ago. "Gamma killed her."

Tsuna slowly blinks. "Please repeat that, Yamamoto. Did you just say _Gamma_ killed Yuni?"

The doors of his office are nearly blown off the hinges when Gokudera bursts in before Yamamoto can reply. "Tenth, Vendicare just sent out word that Hibari somehow broke out!"

The Vongola Boss stares blankly at both of his most loyal Guardians.

"Tenth?"

Tsuna snaps out of his stupor and takes a deep breath to get his thoughts straight. "Where's Reborn?"

Gokudera nervously shifts from foot to foot. "We don't know, Tenth."

"Of course he disappears at a time like this." Tsuna sighs. "Alright, Yamamoto you go to the Giglio Nero Family's headquarters and figure out what happened."

The Rain Guardian nods and turns to leave. "I'm on it, Tsuna."

"Gokudera, use whatever resources you need. Just find Reborn and call me when you do."

"Right away, Tenth!" The Storm Guardian rushes out as quickly as he barged in earlier.

~X~

**Act IV**

Tsuna slowly stands and walks out of his office after checking his pockets for his gloves and pills. Sneaking out is a simple task.

He still considers Hibari to be a part of his Family, despite anyone else's opinions, and the responsibility falls on him to take care of his Cloud Guardian. If Hibari is truly out of his reach, then Tsuna will do whatever it takes to kill him.

He looks up at the clear blue sky. "Dino-san. I think I understand how you felt. To let anyone else kill Hibari-san would be an insult to him and to me. If his death is absolutely necessary, then I would rather it be at my hands. I will bear that burden."

Because he is the all-encompassing Sky.

Yet even as he thinks that, Tsuna knows he is failing his ancestor. So much blood has already been spilled.

~X~

It does not take long for him to track down Hibari. His hyper intuition leads him directly to his wayward Cloud Guardian.

The black haired man stands in a small clearing deep in the woods.

Tsuna lightly lands and studies the escaped convict. Hibari is much thinner - but that does not make him any weaker if his escape from the high security prison means anything – and his hands are clenched around the handles of twin tonfa. Tsuna's scrutiny stops there as he eyes the steel weapons, ones that Hibari should not have because they are sitting in a drawer of Tsuna's desk.

His intuition answers and Tsuna's entire demeanor darkens dangerously. "Rokudo Mukuro. What have you done?"

An eerie chuckle seemingly echoes in the suddenly misty clearing. "I was wondering when you would figure this out, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"How far have your manipulations reached?"

"Kufufu~ How far indeed. Humans are such simple creatures, so easy to bend to my will."

Hearing Mukuro's trademark laugh coming from Hibari's throat and seeing that normally stoic face twisted into a deranged grin makes Tsuna's skin crawl. Hibari's left eye gleams with madness while the red glow and the number six mocks Tsuna from the right. "Answer me, Mukuro."

"B-Boss."

Tsuna tenses and he spins around to face the feminine voice. He sees her leaning heavily against a tree, looking exhausted. "Chrome?"

He wants to say that she is just an illusion, however his intuition tells him otherwise. But, Chrome should be confined to a hospital bed in Japan – where she has been in a coma since before Hibari's imprisonment.

Tsuna grits his teeth and rushes over to the female illusionist when her legs give out and she slumps to the ground. "Why are you here?"

"I called her here, Vongola, and she came like a good little puppet. I've been numbing her pain, but her body's just about ready to collapse. Enough about that though. I have just about run out of usefulness for her."

The Vongola Boss clenches his fists and the flame upon his forehead flares brightly in response to his rage.

"You should run along, Vongola. She won't survive much longer without medical attention. I need a little time to get used to this new vessel, and Hibari Kyouya's body is quite an interesting new toy. It still amazes me, the amount of raw power and potential in this one body."

Tsuna hisses through his teeth, "Get out of him, Mukuro."

"Have you not realized? Hibari Kyouya is beyond anyone's help now. He knows nothing more than his desire to hurt and kill, much like a mindless, feral animal."

"Boss…"

Tsuna looks back and forth between the two before slipping his arms under Chrome's too light body. He sends a glare at his possessed Cloud Guardian.

His intuition suddenly shrieks at him.

Tsuna instinctively drops Chrome, but the tip of a very familiar trident still grazes his hand. He stares horrified at the small cut.

"Kufufu. How easy, Sawada Tsunayoshi. As I said before, humans are such simple creatures. I just have to set the stage, and you fall straight into my trap. You asked me earlier about how far my manipulations have reached, did you not? Shall I tell you?"

The orange flame on Tsuna forehead flickers and dies as his mind spins.

"My cute Chrome and Hibari Kyouya are merely the catalysts. Surely, you have seen my handiwork?"

"Handiwork?"

Mukuro in Hibari's body chuckles. "This Mafia war, of course. Shall I explain in more detail? The little skylark here is the one who attacked and put Chrome in a coma. I then had him take the trident. Hibari began his killing spree in Italy on his own."

Tsuna shakes his head. "Hibari-san wouldn't…"

"Did you know, Vongola, my 'possession' ability does not allow me to completely control a person? I can influence and manipulate them on both a physical and mental level to a certain degree, but everything they do is ultimately something they have the potential to do. Hibari Kyouya slaughtered hundreds of people in his desire to satiate his bloodlust, which existed within him long before I ever possessed him. All I had to do was exaggerate that desire for blood to the point where his mind could focus on nothing but that."

The brunette begins to feel dizzy, but he needs to know how much damage Mukuro has done.

"Through Hibari Kyouya, I possessed Cavallone. It took a little time, but I twisted his love and desire to protect his Family into obsession. Eventually his grief for his fallen Family members drove him to kill the rest of his subordinates in an effort to 'save' them from other Families. Then through Cavallone, I possessed Gamma and used him to kill his beloved Boss."

Tsuna's breaths come in short gasps.

"You see, Vongola, it only takes one person to set off a devastating chain of events. In one fell swoop, I removed your Mist and Cloud Guardians, began a war, decimated the third strongest Family in your alliance, and killed the Boss of one of the oldest Mafia Families. And to top it all off, I finally caught you, Sawada Tsunayoshi." Mukuro's red eye gleamed with triumph. "Don't worry though, you wanted to destroy the Vongola Family, did you not? I assure you that I will see your dream to fruition. All you need do is _sleep_."

Tsuna wants to fight the command, but darkness invades his sight and he falls unconscious.

Mukuro kneels down in the borrowed body and rubs a lock of brown hair between calloused fingers. "Worry not, Sawada Tsunayoshi. You may not wake from this slumber, but I will cleanse this filthy world in your name."

He freezes when he feels a disturbance with his real body.

Mukuro quickly pulls his consciousness back, and Hibari's body collapses like an abandoned marionette. He settles into his body and immediately knows something is not right. Forcing his eyes open, the illusionist looks into the face of a very familiar figure.

His lips curve up in an amused smile at the irony of this situation. He finally achieves his goal of possessing Sawada Tsunayoshi but at the cost of his own life.

Mukuro knows he cannot escape from the infant hit man in his weakened state. He would laugh if he could, but his long stint in Vendicare has robbed him of many things.

Leon transforms into the usual gun and Mukuro closes his mismatched eyes.

"Goodbye, Rokudo Mukuro."

Reborn pulls the trigger.

_La Fine_

~X~

A/N:

- This oneshot is based off of the song "Alice Human Sacrifice" by Vocaloids (which I do not own)

- This is my first time writing a fic in present tense, so a lot of it looks kind of weird to me. Feel free to point out any grammatical mistakes or weird wording (especially since I wrote this in a hurry)

- There is not supposed to be any romance in this fic - unless you squint to see a weird version of 692718…or is it 69!1827?

- I am a terrible, terrible person because:

1) I had Hibari lose his mind and become a mass murderer who had jail time

2) I had Dino slaughter his remaining Family, Romario kill Dino, and then Romario commit suicide.

3) I killed off Yuni and probably f'ed up Gamma pretty bad in the process.

4) Chrome's pretty much dead.

5) I purposely left Tsuna's fate up to the reader's imagination. Will he wake up now that Mukuro's dead, or will he be like the twins in the song who never wake up from their dream?

6) I made Mukuro evil…then killed him off.

7) Reborn ends up being the "hero" by killing Mukuro.

8) Hibird was not mentioned even once.

- Yuni's part is somewhat confusing. Don't worry I got a little confused while I was writing this, too. But basically, her dreams are the memories her future self sent. Her present life is in the paragraphs where she opens her eyes. I put her about 8-9 years old.

- I think I explained (kind of) the main points of the story in Mukuro's little speech.

- There are a ton of plot holes. Please use your imaginations to make all the pieces fit.

And thanks for reading!


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